Our winner is small but perfectly formed – a tiny farm hand-sowing and picking salads and vegetables for Michelin-starred chefs and Wimbledon
The leaves of winter purslane grow in heart shapes, standing out against David Newman's hands as he rips them from the edges of his brassica plots. Newman is the founder of Bucksum Salads, which grows varieties of veg and salad, from chards to endive and bulls blood, selling them directly to restaurants. Hand-picking the leaves allows him "to create the perfect balance of texture, colour and shape for my chef customers. After all, they're creating a picture on a plate".
Based on Newman's parents' farm in Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire, Bucksum began seven years ago, when his ex-wife bought expensive micro leaves from the supermarket. He was convinced he could do better himself, and soon changed from arable and livestock farming. The Bucksum business model is based on dealing directly with chefs, including Tom Kerridge at the two-Michelin starred Hand & Flowers in Marlow. "Every step you cut out makes the produce that bit fresher," says Newman.
He delivers to nearby restaurants twice a week, and leaves any unordered salad in the ground, letting it grow and selling it in his farm shop.
From eight or so long beds, some under fleece, others in greenhouses, Bucksum supplies up to 18 restaurants and major events, includingWimbledon.
But the leaves are still hand-sown and harvested. When I visit in early September, Newman's partner Tracy Russell is sowing winter purslane. Says Russell: "People don't imagine leaves sown by hand when they hear that we supply 50kg of salad to Wimbledon."